Experience Cuba from a uniquely Cuban perspective. Visit the studio of a rising reggaeton star, learn how to dance the Mambo, and paddleboard the Zapata Peninsula. Meet artists and photographers and soak up the music scene. The perfect combination of nature and culture, this trip will take you to Havana, Cienfuegos and Trinidad.

Highlights

Snorkel and stand-up paddleboard along Cuba's pristine coastline

Visit the studio of a rising reggaeton artist in Alamar

Role a Cuban cigar in Viñales National Park

Hike Topes de Collantes National Preserve

Hear the Choir of Cienfuegos and soak up some live music

Brief Itinerary

Day

Highlights

Overnight

Day 1

Arrive in Havana

Havana

Day 2

Walking tour of Old Havana

Havana

Day 3

Visit Viñales National Park

Havana

Day 4

Paddleboard the Zapata Peninsula

Cienfuegos

Day 5

Soak up the music in Cienfuegos

Cienfuegos

Day 6

Artists and cocktails in Trinidad

Trinidad

Day 7

Hike Topes de Collantes National Preserve

Day 8

Depart

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Havana

The streets of Old Havana

Get acquainted with Cuba on a walking tour of Old Havana. Learn the history of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also discover what the next generation of Cuban millennials are doing. After lunch, you will visit Fusterlandia, a wonderland-like outdoor art space.

Day 2: Walking tour of Old Havana

Cuban dancers in Havana

Meet your very own professor from the University of Havana, who will answer your questions about Cuban culture and society. Then, visit a private dance company to see some Cuban dance. If you’re brave, you can learn some steps yourself! Then head to the outskirts of the city and eat at a tapas restaurant in Alamar before visiting a rising reggaeton star in his studio. Reggaeton – a combination of rap, hip-hop, and reggae – is the new wave of music in Cuba.

Day 3: Visit Viñales National Park

Viñales National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site

After breakfast, drive westward to Viñales National Park, where you'll talk with a national park specialist about this spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site. After lunch, try your hand at rolling a cigar at a tobacco farm and spend the rest of the day hiking with a local expert in the heart of the valley before heading back to Havana for the night.

Day 4: Paddleboard the Zapata Peninsula

Enjoying the waters of the Zapata Peninsula

Depart Havana for Zapata National Park, where you'll feast on a locally-caught seafood lunch and learn about the conservation efforts taking place on the Peninsula. Stop at the Bay of Pigs museum before stand-up paddleboarding or snorkeling in a secret spot along the coastline. Overnight in Cienfuegos, known as the Pearl of the South.

Day 5: Soak up the music in Cienfuegos

Historic theatre and classic cars in Cienfuegos

After a hearty breakfast and strong Cuban coffee, take to the streets of beautiful Cienfuegos, 'La Perla del Sur,' for a walking tour and visit a local pharmacy and ration store. Enjoy coffee in the home of an internationally-renowned photographer and see his work. In the afternoon, enjoy the Choir of Cienfuegos before a sunset cruise. After dinner, soak up Cuba's live music scene.

Day 6: Artists and cocktails in Trinidad

Colorful Trinidad

Say goodbye to Cienfuegos and make your way to Guajimico, a hidden oasis for snorkeling and stand-up paddleboarding. Go for a hike with a local guide before lunch. Continue to Trinidad for a sunset walking tour of the old town. Before dinner, enjoy a traditional canchanchara, a Trinidadian cocktail, in the home of innovative artists – one who etches photographs of local Trinidadian people on recycled pieces of wood re-purposed from antique doors, and the other who started a weaving crochet cooperative that supports more than 30 women weavers.

Day 7: Hike Topes de Collantes National Preserve

Topes de Collantes National Preserve

Ride in an open-air bus to Topes de Collantes National Preserve high in the Escambray Mountains. Hike for 2–3 hours with an expert on local flora and fauna to a refreshing waterfall at the end of the trail, where you can swim. Enjoy a traditional lunch of roasted pork, potatoes, beans and rice in the countryside. After a farewell dinner with your group, take in some live music in the Casa de la Musica.